Rode NTK Valve Condenser Microphone

This Mic is AWESOME for Vocals.. I use it mainly for Rap vocals but can be used for Acoustic Guitar & Overheads too. Producer Zeytoven also used it in his early days with Gucci mane and more. I call it Mix butter because a lil compression slowing down the attack and adding some de-essing.. REALLY Sounds More Expensive and Detailed.. I use it with the SE Space and like I said "Mix Butter".. Being a Tube Mic, you can take care of of vocal Warmth on the way in. even if your a Beginner, The Ntk can make you skip that Upgrade your gonna do in a few months.. The BETTER Your recording sounds, The LESS Work YOU have to do. #GameChanger

I’ve been researching microphones for a long long time and I finally decided to get a Rode NTK from AMS. I love the customer service and shipping options. The mic was on back order for about a month and right before Christmas 2020, it came! Wow! what an amazingly engineered piece of equipment. One word that was commonly used to describe this mic is “warmth” and it is very warm and natural. The Rode NTK can handle everything you throw into it. I know I made the right decision.

I've had this mic for a long time, soon after it came out I grabbed one. It has held up great over the years, it's been used primarily as a vocal mic. It can be a bit spitty in the top end, enough to force you to use a de-esser in the mix. But on certain voices (mostly male) it shines. It has a lot of mid range detail, which makes it so good for voices, and can capture the chest resonance of even a thin voice well. I recently did a shoot out between an AKG 414, Neumann TLM 103, and the Rode NTK and the K2. In my opinion, the 414 won hands down, the K2 came in second, and the NTK and the 103 are almost a tie for last place. The NTK and 103 actually sound very similar, but the 103 has more hype in the high mids which made it sound unnatural and harsh compared to the ... MoreI've had this mic for a long time, soon after it came out I grabbed one. It has held up great over the years, it's been used primarily as a vocal mic. It can be a bit spitty in the top end, enough to force you to use a de-esser in the mix. But on certain voices (mostly male) it shines. It has a lot of mid range detail, which makes it so good for voices, and can capture the chest resonance of even a thin voice well. I recently did a shoot out between an AKG 414, Neumann TLM 103, and the Rode NTK and the K2. In my opinion, the 414 won hands down, the K2 came in second, and the NTK and the 103 are almost a tie for last place. The NTK and 103 actually sound very similar, but the 103 has more hype in the high mids which made it sound unnatural and harsh compared to the NTK. The NTK is a good mic, but I think the K2 would be a better value as it has variable patterns and is not as hyped in the high end. Still, I wouldn't knock the NTK out of my locker.

I am absolutely amazed with the quality of sound I get from this microphone. It makes your vocals almost 3D and they already cut through the mix. I would suggest every musician that records anything should invest in one of these Rode's NTK. I don't like that it didn't come with the shock mount. had to purchase from a different company because it wasn't even in stock . I have been using this microphone for the last 4 songs I recorded vocals on. About a Month and I couldn't be happier. It surpassed my expectations. Thanks-Ripples-

11 years and still my FIRST choice!

I have been doing radio and television voiceovers for over 20 years. In that time, I have used hundreds of mics, many costing into the Thousands...When my Re20 and DBX 286 took a lightning strike, I decided that it was time to step up and away from "broadcast" mics. I set out to pick up a Neumann U87 and a Focusrite channel. All my goodies were on the counter at the store when the clerk asked me what I was going to do with the mic. I told him that I do voiceovers and he (in front of my wife) asked if he could save me about $2500.00 by showing me something different.My wife was more interested in seeing what he was talking about more than I was, so after her prompting me to at least look, I reluctantly went to the back where he set up my Neumann/Focusrite ... MoreI have been doing radio and television voiceovers for over 20 years. In that time, I have used hundreds of mics, many costing into the Thousands...When my Re20 and DBX 286 took a lightning strike, I decided that it was time to step up and away from "broadcast" mics. I set out to pick up a Neumann U87 and a Focusrite channel. All my goodies were on the counter at the store when the clerk asked me what I was going to do with the mic. I told him that I do voiceovers and he (in front of my wife) asked if he could save me about $2500.00 by showing me something different.My wife was more interested in seeing what he was talking about more than I was, so after her prompting me to at least look, I reluctantly went to the back where he set up my Neumann/Focusrite combination and the Rode NTK and Presonus Eureka channel right next to it. He gave me a set of phones and walked away.First, I tried the Neumann and it was all I thought it would be. It was perfect. Nothing could possibly compare... Could it? I wasn't even going to bother to try the Rode at first, but my wife was sitting next to me, so....Expecting it to be bad, I said "This won't take long"... and it didn't. When the first sound from my mouth came back into my headphones, I was sold. The NTK (For MY voice) was the hands down winner. I took the phones off and started switching everything off. My wife said "That bad, huh?" I said "Yeah! I almost spent $2700.00 on a microphone!I bought the optional shock mount and a new producer's desk with the savings and STILL spent less than half of the money I intended to spend that afternoon.So now that I have had over a decade to try it out really proper like, here is what I think...*** THIS MIC RUNS 24/7/365. It NEVER gets turned off! ***Somewhere around year 7, the voltage switch on the power supply got dirty and needed to be cleaned. I only figured this out after changing the capacitors in the power supply... Recently, the tube went bad, so I have another one on order. Not bad for having over 96,300 hours on it. In the meantime, I am using a Sennheiser MK 416... The mic that everyone tells me I must have for voiceovers. Sorry guys, the Sennheiser is thin by comparison. I'll keep the Rode at half the price!Other than that, this mic has absolutely exceeded any expectation I ever had for it. It sounds even better today than it did out of the box. I will be buying another one soon since the one I have is aging and I would like to have a backup in the event it needs to be sent off for some time.AWESOME MIC! Buy one NOW!

Early days with NTK

I have now recorded about 4 times with this mic (male solo vocal and acoustic guitar at the same time with just the one mic. I am impressed and very pleased. Even tho the guitar is not miked it picks up beautifully. The vocals are detailed, clear and resonant. I have read that switching out the tube makes it even better and so have purchased additional tubes to this end. So far the supplied tube is so good I haven't felt the need. Eventually I will try out the other tubes and see if it makes it even better. So far... Bravo Rodes!

I should have spent more on this mic!!!

I use this mic primarily for vocal recording and I love the warmth of it. It gives my sound much more body and presence that I would usually have to EQ in myself. Run it thru some light compression and you'll have up-front, in your face vocals. The best thing about this mic is actually something I haven't messed with yet and that's the vacuum tube inside it. I love that it is replaceable and if I felt the need, I can put in another one to change my sound a bit. The ONLY thing I can say I don't like is there's no shock mount, but the included mic clip works just fine. I love this mic and it's great to have in your locker.

In Love

This mic... We had a couple at school available for students to use in their recording sessions. Those ones had a lot of mileage on them and were still favorites amongst students who also had access to mic's from brands like Shure, AKG, Neumann, etc. Despite the price tag, it was an easy decision to make this upgrade based on the experience I had with them as a student.. man was I looking forward to hearing the quality of a brand new one.IT HAS NOT DISSAPPOINTED. I mainly record vocals (female singer/songwriter). I also own an AKG C214, and an SM7B. This mic far outperforms them both on my voice. Paired with my Apollo Twin, the sound is crystal clear. Beautiful tone, slight "warmth" contributes to a full sounding vocal, while capturing all the details without the ... MoreThis mic... We had a couple at school available for students to use in their recording sessions. Those ones had a lot of mileage on them and were still favorites amongst students who also had access to mic's from brands like Shure, AKG, Neumann, etc. Despite the price tag, it was an easy decision to make this upgrade based on the experience I had with them as a student.. man was I looking forward to hearing the quality of a brand new one.IT HAS NOT DISSAPPOINTED. I mainly record vocals (female singer/songwriter). I also own an AKG C214, and an SM7B. This mic far outperforms them both on my voice. Paired with my Apollo Twin, the sound is crystal clear. Beautiful tone, slight "warmth" contributes to a full sounding vocal, while capturing all the details without the harsh high end my C14 tends to get.. the NTK is just right. Could not be happier with this purchase!!

The NTK changed my life

Hahaha not really, but I love the sound of this thing. The Tesla ec88 is nice. I bought a tungsram and I dont know I feel about it yet in comparison. This mic however is awesome. I love the sound quality. I however am a techy and Im dying to mod this thing when the time comes. Great mic for the right price. I got mine for like 333 dollars. Cant beat that:

Yeah this is the one!

Overall:Nothing but great things to say about this mic. Amazing build quality, amazing recording capabilities, and it comes in a nice big case. Only complaint is that it lacks a spider mount that you have to buy separately other wise it's perfect. I didn't want to pay too much for basically my 2nd studio mic but I wanted as tube and I wanted one worth the investment and this was everything I was looking for. As far as tubes go this is a good choice. I recommend upgrading to a telefunken, RCA, or whatever classic brand of tube if you want to try upgrading the sound before upgrading the mic itself. It sounds fantastic stock though for my needs!